November 04, 2005

Artsy Fartsy

I'm not an artist. I do not have the special ability to create extraordinary things through my thoughts and interpret it in an artistic fashion. I am a fan of art though. I'm talking about the museum kind of arts. One of my most exciting trip last year was my visit to the Louvre in Paris. I, like many, wanted to see the actual works of famous artists and the vast collection of artifacts through the ages. Who wouldn't want to meet La Joconde and see that mysterious smile in person or examine the great Egyptian civilizations. I saw thousands of artworks ranging from the famous Da Vinci,Donatello, Michaelangelo, Leonardo,Rafael and Bernini of Italy to France's Manet, Degas, Monet, Renoir, and Matisse. There were also some contributions from the the Dutch painters Van Gogh and Rembrandt plus Germany's Albrecht and Hans. The list goes on and on. It would have taken me a week at least to admire all items at the Louvre and yet I only had a day to feast my eyes on these masterpieces.

I consider my taste in art quite simple and a little bit conservative. I like works that are easy to understand. I am open to any form of art though. I just don't like art that make me think too much or make me feel like I'm stupid for not understanding the whole point of it. This is the reason why I am more inclined to admire renaissance and old world arts. Those times when they paint and sculpt everything to the minute detail with such fine strokes. How they managed to express their emotions through colors, textures, and hues and how their art mirrored the beauty of life.

Recently, I went to Istanbul Modern with my husband. Since Turkey is well known for it's surviving old world feel, I was thinking it would be refreshing to see what's inside this musem. The first level was all about paintings by Turkish artists. It ranged from still life modern, and abstract painting. Hubby and I went through them telling each other what we like and don't like. We had fun trying to understand the logic behind some abstract paintings. After, we had lunch at the museum cafe and proceeded to go one floor below to continue our tour. The staircase leading down had a glass panel on the side which was covered with cracks that seemed to be a result of damage done by a bullet. It was filled with it. It looked like it was a bulletproof glass shotdowned by an armalite. Apparently, this was part of the exhibit. It had a "wow" factor but I must admit, I forgot what it meant.

The next thing that caught my attention was the library. Hundreds of books were hanged on the ceiling and served as a marker for the library. It was a nice and impressive artistic show but again, I forgot the logic behind it. All I remember were the poor books destroyed by a single hole in the middle where the string was attached and connected to the ceiling.

Then there was a photo exhibit. This one was interactive. Basically, anyone who wants to contribute to the exhibit can post their photos. All the pictures should be a photocopy. There is a photocopier near the exhibit were people lined with their family picture, mementos , or what have you's. After reproducing a copy, they put their contribution to the art on the board . It was a long board full of photos of people. It looked more like a big billboard of missing persons to me than a photo exhibit. I wanted to join the fun and put a little piece of me in the board but the line to the photocopier was long so I decided against it.

We then proceeded to the temporary exhibits. My husband and I felt at lost here. We just didn't understand most of the works of art. Either it was too deep and abstract or we were just so dense and shallow to understand them. There was a short video of a girl dancing in tribal beats wearing a flamenco dance costume and holding a sheepskin flask filled with blood. As she was dancing, the blood was coming out of the flask. This runs for about a minute and is on repeat mode. It was a "duh" moment for me and my husband after watching it. What in heavens name was that about? I really had no clue even after reading the briefing.

After three long hours of walking and our attempt to understand modern art, we left Istanbul Modern and decided to walk home. For some reason, holding hands while walking was simpler for us to understand and grasp than watching that video of the lady dancing. Enough of the artsy fartsy!

Posted by duke at 11/04/2005 12:34:00 AM

20 Comments:

Jeruen said...: "What in heavens name was that about?"

Hehehe, that was also my family's comment when we visited the National Gallery in Athens, Greece. Some weird stuff going on there.

But nothing beats MUMOK (Museum Moderner Kunst "Museum of Modern Art") in Vienna, Austria. You have to have the guts to visit the basement, where they display Wiener Aktionismus (Viennese Actionism), where the art is really gross. Some video showed a man cutting himself, defecating, urinating, masturbating, among others. Then there was this canvas with a carcass of a dead sheep hanging over it, and the blood splattered all over the canvas. Weird stuff, really weird stuff.; 11/04/2005 04:46:00 AM
Anonymous said...: I'm actually fascinated with the art of the suspended books with all its colors.; 11/04/2005 07:59:00 AM
MrsPartyGirl said...: art naman is meant to be subjective, so you don't have to worry about liking everything. :D as for me, i love the impressionists and i'm not very fond of the classical art that you said you liked (kasi feeling ko any art student can do that to the minutest detail, but those who do impressions or expressions give out a more personal meaning to their form of art. but hey, that's just me :D) anyway, i can appreciate modern art, but syempre, it's highly dependent on what your taste is and how your senses react. finger paintings ng anak ko masaya na ko eh, hehe. :D youre so lucky to have a hubby who likes to explore the world of art with you. yung asawa ko has to be dragged kicking and screaming hehe. no fun! :); 11/04/2005 08:45:00 AM
Anonymous said...: Lucky you to visit all these beautiful galleries. One that I really really wanna see is the "Imelda Marcos Gallery" - the shoes, the jewels, those perfumes & I wish that the Phil Govt won't put them all to auction. How amazing it is to know that she really got all those STUFF?

I wanna know.

But look, we also create an ART for ourselves. To my mind, blogging is like a stand-up comedy - it's a performance of art, a literature of ideas. Glad I'm part of your own "art".; 11/04/2005 09:50:00 AM
Anonymous said...: Heheheh! I love contemporary/experimental art!!! I cried in the Pompidou Centre because after a lifetime of being obsessed with Duchamp or Klein - I was finally there!!! I so understand the starstruck moment of being in a room with all your idols!

oh my, I'd like to tell you some of the stuff we used to do in Fine Arts, but I don't want you to feel faint ;-)
-kala; 11/04/2005 10:23:00 AM
wandergurl said...: my 2 cents? i think its about uhm, the arabs in spain, and how they kicked them out in the 16th century and there was a lot of blood (hence flamenco dress and flask of blood). some of the modern art stuff is weird.

in argentina, there was this open exhibition, this girl lived in a glass room in the middle of the city for a week, i think, and everyone saw her do everything like shit, and shower and stuff. and okay if i were a guy (she was supposedly pretty), i suppose it would be free porn but dude, do you really wanna see someone shit live??! some of this stuff is weird.; 11/04/2005 10:27:00 AM
Owen said...: ang galing! i wish i could go there someday!

also, i noticed that you can bring a camera inside, a thing most museums prohibit one to do.; 11/04/2005 01:00:00 PM
Abaniko said...: Art is one of the things that sets us, human beings, apart from other animals. Unless of course, you've heard of a cat that knows how to draw or play the violin or write fancy literature. Hehe.; 11/04/2005 02:51:00 PM
Analyse said...: aw, i guess i already had my lifetime dose of artsy fartsy already hehe..i don't think i'll visit another one one day. im not much into arts, ya see..

but you could drag me anytime in scentific galleries..i so loved the one in florence, italy..can't remember the name of the science museum but you could find in there those early instruments they used to come up with what we know today, isnt that amazing?; 11/04/2005 03:01:00 PM
JO said...: hi duke,

ako naman, i'm more of a nature lover than art.

but i do love going to museums too... learning experience kasi yan.; 11/04/2005 03:16:00 PM
maila said...: hi duke..
that was one great experience for you and your hubby. I always love art..it fascinates me. It is so neat because we all have different interpretation of it...I suppose thats what makes it fascinating to people.

Here in Houston, we have art museums center..been there once and Im planning on going back.; 11/04/2005 06:31:00 PM
Gayzha said...: I think all of us are "artists" in our own unique ways - - - there is an innate need to express ourselves or to "create" being created as i may quote "in the image and likeness of God". Sometimes, artists are appreciated, criticised or simply ignored - although it is somehow the self expression and the satisfaction or sense of fulfillment derived from it that is most important.; 11/05/2005 06:25:00 AM
silentmode_v2 said...: me likes the books hanging on the ceiling!!!! i want to redecorate my home with that..hmm.....; 11/05/2005 04:34:00 PM
Anonymous said...: I like the ceiling display of suspended books. Is it because I'm a book lover? Or is it because of your nice photo?; 11/05/2005 08:58:00 PM
duke said...: LIW I'm just a simpleton when it comes to understanding art. That MUMOK Gallery sounds scary and really weird. Ahhhh what people do for arts sake!

Evi It's really eye catching especially when you see it the first time.

meeya True. Art is very subjective. I can appreciate different types of art as long as it's not way beyond my comprehension :D My husband is into modern art since he gets his ideas for his dessert creations from it. Kaya it's easy to bring him to museums! ;)

K Don't they have an Imelda Marcos Gallery? I think I went to a gallery where it featured her shoe collections and ternos. I just don't remember where.

Kala I also wanted to go to the Pompidou Center. The building itself is enough to attract me to go visit there. I can imagine how you felt when you were there. I wasn't able to go there though coz we didn't have enough time to spare!
When I go back to Paris that will be one of my must see!; 11/06/2005 03:57:00 PM
duke said...: Lars Really? Sabi ko na nga ba I can count on you when it comes to these stuff. How did you know about the story behind this video?

I wouldn't want to see a person doing his morning ritual even if it was a drop dead gorgeous girl/guy!

Owen If you have the chance go visit as much galleries and museums as you can! In the Louvre, you are allowed to bring in a camera but at Istanbul modern it was not allowed I just took a snippet from their website :D

Sha I've never been to London! It's complicated to go there since I hold a schengen visa and it's not part of it. tsk tsk tsk...

I can take a train to go to there right? The thing is? I don't know about the visa stuff. I hold a resident's permit here in Turkey but I still have my Pinoy passport with me. Give infos onit so I can visit you there! It's freezing here now...; 11/06/2005 04:06:00 PM
duke said...: abaniko very well said! lol :D

Ana I can see your engineer character and brain in motion! no wonder you love those scientific galleries :D

Honepooh It's nice to look into other people's perspective through art. It's always a learning experience.I'm blessed to have a husband who share this passion with me!

Tell us your next visit to that gallery in Houston. I'd be excited to know what's in it.

Jhaya I think you are one gifted artist. You can express your thoughts and feelings through your paintings pretty well. When you become famous with your artworks remember us pa din ha!

Jeff I was thinking it would be good to adapt this idea at home. Nasasayangan lang ako with the books! Comics kaya? do you think it will ahve the same effect?

Jayred It's nice no? It was one of the main points of conversation in the gallery. The books are in different languages and were somewhat placed in way that connects them all...; 11/06/2005 04:15:00 PM
nixda said...: hallo dukesa!
i find museum boring! i'm just interested who d hell buys these stuff for a fortune. (cud be a future business partner, hehe)
but i'm interested to visit d MOMA in New York, after a shopping spree. lol; 11/06/2005 06:56:00 PM
silentmode_v2 said...: manipis comic books. colorful magazines will do. the thicker, the better.; 11/06/2005 07:02:00 PM
dreaming-neko said...: you are much too beautiful and happy to be an artist :)

be creative... keep creating...; 11/08/2005 11:09:00 AM

Confessions of an Expat's Wife

November 04, 2005

Artsy Fartsy

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